The Didi vs Modi battle has gone a notch higher with the Mamata Banerjee government changing the names of the Central government schemes in West Bengal. The Trinamool Congress has been a vocal critic of the BJP government at the Centre, and had lashed out at the Centre for its decision to demonetise high-value currency in November last year.

The Mamata Banerjee government wants to drop the 'Pradhan Mantri' from the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) and instead wants to call it 'Banglar Gramin Sadak Yojana'.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet project of Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) will be known in West Bengal as 'Mission Nirmal Bangla'.

Hitting out at the Mamata government for renaming schemes, BJP leader Chandra Kumar Bose compared the West Bengal chief minister to Babur who "demolished a temple in Ayodhya and built Babri Masjid".

STATE IS BEARING THE COST TOO

The reason: The Mamata Banerjee government said that the state has to now bear 40 per cent of the total cost of implementing the schemes as against 10 per cent previously.

According to the West Bengal government, if the state has to pay for more than 40 per cent of the cost then why should the Central government get the credit, especially when state government is providing the machinery and agency for the implementation of the scheme.

A copy of the letter to district magistrates.

P Ulagnathan, district magistrate of Cooch Behar confirmed that he has received the orders and he would "implement" them. Pushpita Roy Dakua, who is the sabhadipati of Cooch Behar zila parishad, said the work on changing the names of schemes on boards and banners is on at war-footing.

"The names of the schemes have been changed on boards. The state government too is providing money for the schemes and therefore the schemes cannot only have the stamp of the Central government," she said.

A copy of the letter to district magistrates.

OLD WINE IN A NEW BOTTLE

Reacting to the Mamata Banerjee government's decision, CPI (M) leader Fuad Halim said it was similar to repackaging old wine in a new bottle. "All these Central government programmes have failed miserably in impacting and changing the lives of the common people in the country," he said.

Senior Congress leader Omprakash Mishra said that both the Central and state government, including the one in West Bengal, have been renaming projects as well as policies. He called the trend "unethical".

BJP leader Chandra Kumar Bose while comparing Mamata Banerjee to Babur said, "Babur demolished the temple in Ayodhya and built Babri Masjid. Similarly, Mamata Banerjee is demolishing and changing the name of a central scheme".

"I think it is very foolish of Mamata Banerjee to change names and give a name at the state level for the same scheme which the Centre has actually adopted," the BJP leader said, adding that his party would "expose her (Mamata) bluff in the next election".